Report on the Danmark expedition to the north-east coast. 215 



and about the 7th and 8th of June they have probably sighted Academy 

 Glacier at a distance of about 30 kilometers. Here they built a cairn 

 and drove out of Independence Bay again. 



On June 14th they reached back to Danmarks Fjord and from 

 the place where they were forced to remain over the summer, they 

 intended driA'ing across the Fjord to Princess Dagmars Peninsula, 

 in order to begin the return journey. But the sledging was now so 

 bad, that it was impossible for the dogs, by that time thin and ema- 

 ciated, to draw the sledges through the snow. They had to return 

 and made up their minds to remain here over the summer. 



On the summer tenting place they stayed right until August 

 8th, when they proceeded into Danmarks Fjord to shoot musk-oxen, 

 the neighbourhood of the summer tent place gradually becoming 

 quite devoid of game: the goal of their journey has probably been 

 Sjællands Slette where they previously had excellent hunting, but 

 from Bronlund's diary we only know that on August .31st they had 

 reached the region near Gundersteddal. 



Of the period from the 31st of August to the 19th of October 

 the diary says nothing. 



On October 19th Jörgen Bronlund relates, that they came up 

 on the inland ice; but thereafter the diary contains nothing except 

 the single page written in Danish, where Jørgen Broxlund states 

 that in the month of November they reached Nioghalvfjerdsfjord 

 where they all perished. (See PI. X). 



From the diary we learn all that they went through during the 

 summer. How they were often completely destitute of provisions 

 and how the foot-gear gradually became quite worn out and how 

 they tried to make some other kind of boots, which were naturally 

 extremely primitive. 



To get some food for themselves and the dogs they were at last 

 obliged to kill some of the latter. On August 24th they had only 8 

 dogs left and the day after they kill, as far as we can make out, an- 

 other dog, so that by that time they had only 7 dogs left. 



Their small supply of petroleum was soon used up. To get warm 

 food noAv and then they gradually cut up two of the sledges and used 

 them as fuel. 



Eacli page of the diary bears evidence of the hard struggle and 

 of their sufferings. Yet it contains no complaint. A diary written 

 under such desperate conditions could not have been more manly. 



As will be seen from the foregoing, the diary contains no state- 

 ment as to the route chosen for the return journey. 



In the following, an endeavour will be made to sketch the route 

 Mylius-Erichsen and his companions in all probability chose for 

 their return journey. 



As starting point they have alimist lo a certainty taken Cape 



